Monday 30 September 2019

The Launch of Lunch Delivery


By Jong Min Park
On Thursday, September 26, during Dalat High School’s weekly All Hands on Deck session, the entire high school was given the opportunity to get a taste of the senior lunch privilege.

The Eagle Express team, consisting of seniors Jordan Chang, Gloria Kim, Jerald Ooi, Philip Yeoh, and Jong Min Park, had announced the launch of the food delivery business. A three-minute video showcased the process the team would take to deliver the food. First, Jerald Ooi would call each of the vendors selling either chicken rice or fried rice with the order placed via a Google Form. Next, as soon as the lunch bell rang, the team would enter either Jordan Chang or Philip Yeoh’s speedy cars and retrieve the food – all with the promise of returning to school in under 20 minutes. The advertisement video, followed by a brief announcement, received enthusiastic applause from the high school crowd.

Inspired by alumnus John Cho – who used his senior lunch privileges to bring back lunch for his fellows, friends and underclassmen – the Eagle Express team sought to bring his legacy onto a bigger and official platform. When asked about the business, Jerald Ooi, one of the co-founders of the business, answered, “I was excited to launch Eagle Express as it has been months in the making. The team as a collective has spent many hours formulating a sustainable business plan that would not only see success but provide us the ability to give back to the community.”

Eagle Express has become an integral part of these seniors’ school days: with Kim and Yeoh handling orders, and Ooi, Chang, and Park handling delivery. But most importantly, Eagle Express was a reflection of the seniors’ willingness to give back to the community.

Who could’ve guessed that a delivery business would arise from a few light blue uniforms, a couple of driver’s licenses, and a heart for the community?

Wednesday 25 September 2019

2020 Happened!


By Zhi Yong Lee
It’s senior sneak! Crack! Thump! Wait…. Are you telling me that the floor collapsed? The fences too?! What happened? The class of 2020 happened?! Have they begun to rebel since they don’t want to go back to school? Will they be kicked out of the island? Stay tuned in the next episode of Drago-
Senior Sneak is a time when students – during their 4th year in high school – relax and escape from schoolwork, a time when “E” becomes cubed, and a time when new passions begin sparking. Descending onto the Sneak destination, the senior alpha males glimpsed at one another, acknowledged each other’s motives, and began the “hunt” that is all so well-known during Sneak. While some failed their missions, others successfully caught their “prey.” Just as “E” became cubed, it sank onto everyone that Sneak is the perfect time to escape, encounter, and encourage – interpreting it however they understood it.
During this precious time as seniors, different groups in the class intertwined ever so slightly and finally unites as one – working together, playing together, laughing together. It is, in these moments, when relationships truly prosper and grow stronger – a period when besties become “feisties.” Furthermore, friendships were created and deepened through splendors and by falling down a cliff with a single heart remaining. While some of these memories will stay for the rest of our lives, others will simply be forgotten and unconsciously thrown into the abyss.
Most memories will soon be forgotten as we grow older and weaker, so which are the ones that we will always remember and look back at again? They are during the instants when a person puts in great efforts to achieve their goal or performs something so stupid that it lingers within everyone’s minds. These events include the activities conducted as a class such as playing volleyball when the tide’s low, singing “Oceans” for the 100th time, collapsing an entire floor of the lounge room, or dancing over the corpse of a dead rat (Duncan, you’re a beautiful man). These exuberant yet ridiculous moments will linger in the seniors mind as memories forever to be cherished.
Aside from those moments, certain people have also found their new, mysterious passions. Philip, the big baller Yeoh, discovered enlightenment after being introduced to the game of beach soccer. “I’ve been playing the wrong sport all along. Soccer is my sport!” declared Philip Yeoh (12). Those games of beach soccer allowed the class to include even the people who are less athletic or less familiar with the game which became one of the small factors leading to the unity of the class.
Being a senior myself, no words could possibly explain how much I cherish these moments as this would be my final year to be with you – my friends – after an 8-year bumpy, yet joyous ride. As a small way of thanking my precious friends, I dedicate this short article of 500 words to the class of 2020 that happened. I love you guys <3